1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display (LCD), and more particularly to LCDs comprising a plurality of electro-optical switches (pixels) comprising a plurality of liquid crystal molecules having more than one axis.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, liquid crystal displays (LCDs) have been the most widely used among flat panel display devices. Generally, an LCD includes a pair of opposing panels one of which has a plurality of pixel-controlling electrodes on it inner surface, and the other having a common electrode, with a dielectric anisotropy liquid crystal (LC) layer interposed between the panels.
In an LCD, a variation of the voltage difference applied between the field generating electrodes, i.e., a variation in the strength of an electric field generated by the electrodes, changes the transmittance of light passing through the LCD, and thus desired images are obtained by controlling the voltage difference between the electrodes at each pixel.
Liquid crystals are partly ordered materials, somewhere between their solid and liquid phases. Their molecules are often shaped like rods or plates. Depending on the kind of technique used to align LC molecules in the LC layer, LCDs are categorized into three types: twisted nematic (TN) mode, in-plane switching (IPS) mode, and vertical alignment (VA) mode LCDs. Of the three types, a nematic LC material is most commonly used. Each of the liquid crystal pixel cells in a LCD acts as an electro-optical switch that controls the light transmission from the back light in response to an electrical signal applied to a signal electrode of a TFT.
The LCDs using the nematic LC material can obtain a wider viewing angle by appropriately designing the form of the electrodes and by controlling a field direction, but they still have limitations in response speed and visibility.